Chaahat

Chapter 29: Reveal

Riya presses a kiss on her best friend, now bhabhi's cheek. She waves them goodbye as they leave for their Singapore honeymoon. It's super early, the couple had gotten a total of 4 hours of sleep and were ready to head off. A yawn escapes Riya as she turns back around and heads back in.

She lays on her bed, pulling her laptop to add to her draft for new book. She decided to make an extended epilogue for the couple, a few years down the road with their baby. She knows that her readers would love that. Meanwhile, Sophia pulls at her dad's hair wanting to wake him up.
"Papa!"

She pouts when her dad stirs in his sleep but doesn't open his eyes. "Riya."
Xavier mumbles the name under his breath. Sophia giggles before she shuffles off her father's back and slips Barbie slipper on before skipping to Riya's room.

She knocks on Riya's room and giggles when she hears shuffling. Riya opens the door and smiles at the little girl.
"Hi pretty girl."

Sofia smiles as she skips inside the room and plops on Riya's bed.
"I have to tell you something."
Riya smiles at her , her heart breaking just a tiny bit seeing the same eyes she's fallen in love with .

"Go on, tell me."

Sofia muffles her giggles by covering her mouth with her tiny palms. With her other hand, she gestures Riya to move closer.
Smiling, Riya sits beside her. Sofia moves closer before whispering, "Papa misses you."
Riya's smile drops for a second before she turns back to the little girl. "What makes you say that?"

Sophia lets out another adorable giggle, "Because he's saying your name in his dream."
Riya can't help but let her heart pound at the thought of the man she's fallen for dreaming of her.

Riya takes the little girl in her arms before carrying her back to bed, "You look like you need sleep, pretty girl."
Sofia slowly cuddles closer into the blanket before sleep consumes her.

A few hours pass as Riya types away at laptop before sleep shadows over her. With her arms around Sofia and her laptop sitting on her lap, Riya breathes heavy she slowly falls asleep. And that's how Xavier finds the two girls when he owes looking for his daughter. The sight in front of him pulls the strings of his heart as he takes out his phone to capture the two together.

He moves closer, and before he can help himself, he presses a kiss on Riya's forehead before taking his daughter out of her grasp. Moving back to his room he lays his daughter on his bed and finishes packing their bags. He's decided it's best they leave now before things get out of hand.
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"Of course you can come drop them off, beta."
Those are the words Riya hears the minute she comes downstairs. Shourya has his daughter in his arms and Sofia and Xavier sitting on the sofa.

"Where are you guys going?"
Riya looks at Xavier, who had is headphones around his neck and a small backpack in his hand.

"They're heading back, beta. They were gong to leave a few days later, but Sofia's mother is missing Sofia."
Raj pats his daughter's head as the family say their goodbyes to Xavier and Sofia.

"Do you want to come drop them off?" Shourya's question makes Riya almost sob.
"No thank you. "

Riya goes to hug Sofia, promising she'd come visit her as son as she can.After breakfast, Shourya takes Xavier and Sofia to the airport. Chhaya doesn't leave Riya alone for even second for the rest of the day. Rohan takes the two out to take her mind off Xavier. It works for a while, but as soon as they're back, Riya inks herself standing outside Xavier's room.

She steps in, taking in the room. Her lip wobbles as she sits on the bed and memories of him and Sofia pass her mind. She cries over the memories and how it all ended. She throws herself back onto the bed and sobs into her hands.

She lay sprawled on her bed, her sobs, muffled and raw, filling the small, dimly lit room. The remnants of their last conversation echoes painfully in her mind, each word a fresh wound. She clutches the sheets, trying to hold onto something, anything, as her world seems to crumble around her.

"Why did you have to go?" she whispers into the fabric of the bedsheet as she turns on her stomach, her voice cracking. The image of his face, shadowed with regret and determination, plays on a loop behind her closed eyes.

In a desperate attempt to distract herself, Riya reached out blindly, her fingers brushing against the cool wood of the bedside table. She fumbles with the drawer, accidentally pulling it open, She sits up to try to top her cries before shoving her hand inside the drawer. Her fingers touch something soft and leathery. Pulling it out, she found herself holding an old, weathered diary.

It isn't one she's seen before.

The diary is bound in faded brown leather, its edges worn and frayed. She recognises it immediately as his—Xavier's. She's seen him holding it a few times. Her heart skips a beat, the sobs catching in her throat.

She hesitates for a moment, staring at the diary, its presence both comforting and ominous. Taking a deep breath, she opens it. The pages were yellowed with age, the ink slightly smudged, but still legible.
She sees the handwriting transform over the years dated in the top right corner of each entry.

She opens to a random page.

*I left. I don't know how to feel about it all, he's my father, but I left him. Even with him in my life, my world had always been lonely. But today, I met someone who makes the world seem a little less lonely. His name is Shourya. He's given me a place to stay and he said he'll help me work everything out.*

Riya's breath hitches at the thought of Xavier as a little boy. She flips to another random entry.

*Her laugh could be my favourite thing in the World. But she's the sister of the man who I owe my life to. I don't know what it is about her, but when she smiles, it's like everything bad just... melts away.*

Riya's heart skips a beat. She traces the words with her fingers, feeling the love that had been poured into them. She flips through the pages, each entry a testament to his feelings, his struggles, and his dreams.

Tears stream down her cheeks, mingling with a smile that tugged at her lips. She keeps reading, losing herself in his thoughts, his fears, and his hopes.

She pauses, her fingers trembling. The entries grew more intense, detailing his adventures, his quiet moments, and the times he had made decisions that would ultimately change his life.

Then she finds the entry saying he's taking his daughter to India and he didn't now how to feel about meeting Riya. She closes the diary, clutching it to her chest. The ache in her heart s still there, but it was tempered by a new understanding. She didn't know the details, didn't know why he has to leave or what he's thinking, but she knows her love for him was real, and that gave her strength.

She lay back down, holding the diary close, her sobs quieting into soft, steady breaths. The pain was still there, but now, it was accompanied by a flicker of hope.

For now, that was enough. And once she has a little more courage she might read more.

SO????
HOW WAS IT???

I KNOW ALOT OF YOU GUYS HATE XAVIER RIGHT NOW, BUT........... I CAN NEVER HATE HIM!!! OKAYYYYY!!! TRUST THE PROCESS AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND HI! PLEASEEE!!!